Washington State University will lead a nationwide consortium of U.S. universities and industry partners in a five-year, $30 million joint research project with India to advance the development of the power grid in both countries.
The US. Department of Energy announced a $7.5 million grant to the U.S. team, which will be supplemented by $7.5 million from consortium members. The Indian Ministry of Science and Technology and industry partners will match the $15 million, bringing the total to $30 million.
The U.S.-India collAborative for smart diStribution System wIth STorage (UI-ASSIST) was selected as the new consortia for Smart Grid and Energy Storage under the U.S.-India Joint Clean Energy Research and Development Center (JCERDC).
Led by Washington State University, UI-ASSIST’s American team is comprised of MIT, Texas A&M University, University of Hawaii, Idaho National Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Snohomish County (WA) Public Utility District, Avista, Burns and McDonnell, ETAP Operation Technology, ALSTOM Grid/GE Grid Solutions, Clean Energy Storage, ABB, Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation, and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.
The India team is led by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur and includes the partners IIIT Delhi, IIT Madras, IIT Roorkee, IIT Bhubaneshwar, and The Energy and Resources Institute, New Delhi, reports T&D World.
Through JCERDC, U.S world-class installations and national laboratories will contribute their expertise and capabilities as India expands energy access to its remote areas, improves its grid reliability and resilience, and strengthens its energy security. In turn, U.S. participants will gain insight from India’s grid modernization efforts – a potential export market for U.S. equipment worth billions of dollars – as well as promote researcher access to India’s grid operational experience.
Last updated: December 26th, 2025
